Lumi Industries, a 3D printer manufacturer based in Italy, has introduced an open-source, smartphone-operated resin 3D printer called LumiBee. In collaboration with Zortrax, Photocentric, and 3DFilum, the LumiBee project aims to challenge the maker community to create their own resin system.
“In nature, [the bee] has such an important role in our lives,” said Davide Marin, CEO of Lumi Industries. “It contributes to complex, interconnected ecosystems and we felt this also reflected the idea of the project itself involving different players like makers, 3D printing lovers, and fans, as well as different companies, to cooperate for the good and, if possible even improved, the outcome of the project.”
The LumiBee 3D printer
Nominated as a finalist at the Purmundus Design Challenge 2019, the LumiBee uses the light from a user’s mobile phone screen to cure resin into an object. It is designed so that 95% of its parts can be additively manufactured with an FDM/FFF 3D printer. According to Marin, the LumiBee has been developed with a mechanical, PCB design.
The first prototype of the LumiBee was created from a chassis, as well as bars and nuts made using the Zortax M200 and Z-ULTRAT filament. The assembly is divided into segments with specific functions, such as holding the phone and housing the PCB board. Each segment was 3D printed in a different color to highlight such functions. Moreover, Photocentric provided suitable daylight resins to be used with the LumiBee, while 3DFilum further advised on appropriable filaments to be used in the 3D printer’s structure.
Marin added, “An idea popped into my mind: LumiBee parts should be designed in a way that any user can 3D print them at home with a domestic FFF printer at a very low cost. I decided with my team to release LumiBee as a free Open Source project by Lumi Industries, perfectly matching our mission to make 3D printing benefits available to a larger public.”
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Featured image shows the LumiBee 3D printer. Photo via Lumi Industries.
